More than 40 LGTBI rights activists were detained in Istanbul on Sunday at a Pride parade, held despite bans and a heavy police presence in the Turkish city, according to organizers.
Authorities in Istanbul and several other Turkish provinces have banned all LGTBI events planned for Pride Week, including marches.
Access to traditional places for parades by LGTBI groups in Istanbul, such as Istiklal Street and Taksim Square, were closed by the police and nearby metro stops were closed.
The LGTBI groups announced that they would meet at 3:00 p.m. local time, but they did not reveal the place until the last minute.
Finally, they met in a park in the Nisantasi neighborhood, where they unfurled a giant rainbow flag.
The activists present in the park chanted slogans such as “Get used to us!”, “Run away, Tayyip (Erdogan, Turkish president), run away. The homosexuals are coming!”.
The police arrived at the scene and declared the demonstration illegal.
Organizers say more than 40 people have been detained.
The Pride March has been banned by the Government of Istanbul for four years, coinciding with a hardening of the discourse against the LGTBI minority by the Islamist government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Source: TSF
